Monday, October 15, 2012

DIY Tassel Garland

Good morning,

This past weekend I completed a really adorable DIY project that I have to share. It was very easy and only took a few items to complete, limited cost and a some time to do. I'm talking about Tissue paper tassel garlands, and boy are they adorable.

I needed something new, something different to hang above the TV in my daughter's room. When I spotted these I knew they were the perfect solution to adding a bit of fun to her room not to mention they give you a great chance to tie colors together.

Take a look at some tassel garlands that other people have used.

These have been highlighted for weddings and special occasions, but to me decorating ones house IS a special occasion. I could see this in an office or a bedroom or draped lovingly above a sofa. So, without further adieu here is my tutorial for DIY tassel garlands.

What you'll need:
-various sheets and colors of tissue paper. **1 sheet makes 1 tassel, and I used 19 sheets total for mine. There are other versions out there but I found that 1 sheet was enough volume.
-Scissors or a rotary cutter and board. I only had scissors but I WISH I HAD A ROTARY CUTTER.
-glue, any liquid glue will do.
-string for hanging

Step 1:

Take your sheet of tissue paper and fold it in half width wise.

Step 2:

Take your folded sheet and fold it in half length wise, and then fold that half length wise again so that you have a narrow sheet.

Step 3:

Take your scissors (or rotary cutter) and make about 1/4" cuts up your sheet length wise and stop them about 2" from the top. then unfold your sheet, it will look like this.

Step 4:

Cut your new fringed up paper LENGTH WISE down the seam then place your 2 new identical halves on top of each other so that your center line is even and your fringe is all laying directly on top of each other.

Step 5:

Take the edge of your paper stack and start to roll it turning the fringe over as you go. Similar to how you would roll a burrito :)

Step 6:

Keep twisting your center part of the tissue paper and then form a loop with it. You may want to secure this loop with a drop of glue so that it doesn't come unraveled as I did.

Step 7:

String your garland piece by piece. I knotted the string around each loop to secure it in place.

Here is a sneak peek of my finished garland.

More of this room coming soon!

A few things to note if you try your own DIY tissue paper garland.

-The silver paper was very hard to find and my research didn't help much. I finally found it at the Dollar Store which another person recommended. Save yourself the trip to Home Goods, Joanne's, Target, Wall Greens, and Hall Mark (who don't carry it, I know I tried!) and try the Dollar Store first.

-Don't be afraid if it isn't cut perfect or if you lose a few pieces along the way. It will still turn out wonderful in the end.

-If you can use a rotary cutter, do! It would just make it easier and quicker than cutting each piece, also the metallic tissue paper is TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE to work with because the pieces easily tear off. A rotary cutter would help with this unfortunate problem.

-Lastly, if you try one of these yourself let me know! I would love to see these ideas in other people's spaces.

What do you think of the DIY tissue paper garland? You itching to give this one a try? Do share~